Grief and Loss Theories and Skills for the Helping Professions

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Provides a variety of case examples applying theory to practice when working with those dealing with grief and loss. Grief and Loss: Theories and Skills for the Helping Professions, 2/e,allows readers to see how essential theories and skills will enhance their own practice. They will gain the core knowledge and skills needed to work with individuals, families, groups, and communities who are experiencing loss and the grief that accompanies it Culture, spirituality, age, gender and other factors that influence grief reactions are discussed, helping readers understand and work with diverse populations. Individual and programmatic responses to grieving people are also included. Each chapter contains exercises that encourage readers to apply the concepts learned and MySocialWorkLab includes a variety of Internet resources and supplemental learning tools. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers should be able to: Acquire core knowledge and skills that will prepare readers to work with individuals, families, groups, and communities who are experiencing loss and the grief that accompanies it Understand normal and complicated grief reactions Identify actual as well as symbolic losses Recognize the factors the positively and negatively influence grief reactions Understand the resources and interventions that are effective in helping those who are grieving Note:MySocialWorkLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySocialWorkLab, please visit:www.mysocialworklab.comor you can purchase a valuepack of the text + MySocialWorkLab (at no additional cost). VP: 0205206816

Katherine Walsh has been teaching social workers and other helping professionals while maintaining her own grief work practice for 30 years. A past president of the Association of Oncology Social Work, Director of Psychosocial Services for Hospice, a Clinical Supervisor and tenured Professor of Social Work, Dr. Walsh has won numerous service and leadership awards, authored many book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles and led international exchange programs in End of Life Care in China, Cambodia and Hungary for the National Association of Social Workers. Her own practice and collaborative relationships with students and colleagues have produced a wealth of case examples from a wide variety of settings including schools, hospitals, correctional facilities and foster care agencies as well as traditional social service and mental health settings.

Preface

p. ix

Introduction To Grief And Loss

p. 1

Basic Facts about Loss

p. 1

Why Study Grief and Loss?

p. 2

Loss Experiences that Generate Grief Reactions

p. 4

Grief in every practice setting

p. 4

Summary

p. 8

Symbolic Loss

p. 9

Symbolic Loss

p. 9

Similarities and Differences in Symbolic and Actual Losses

p. 10

Death is acknowledged; symbolic loss often is not

p. 10

Loss due to life transitions

p. 11

Health-related symbolic loss

p. 12

Summary

p. 18

Self-Preparation And Self-Care For Professionals Encountering Loss And Grief

p. 19

Reviewing our Own Experiences and Attitudes Related to Grief

p. 19

Assessing and Enhancing our Readiness to Address Grief in our Work

p. 24

Bringing Up Personal Emotions and Memories for Every Professional

p. 24

Limited preparation and support for grief in organizations

p. 25

Increased Recognition of the Impact of Grief on Professionals

p. 26

Sources of education and support

p. 27

Supervision, Consultation, and Collaboration with Other Helping Professionals

p. 27

Secondary trauma

p. 28

Summary

p. 30

Loss and Grief Across the Life Span: Childhood and Adolescence

p. 31

Loss in the Formative Years

p. 31

External Factors Influencing Grief Reactions in Children and Adolescents

p. 32

The Influence of Development on Grief Reactions

p. 33

Grief Reactions at Different Developmental Stages

p. 34

Infants

p. 35

Age 2-3 years (toddlers)

p. 35

Age 3-6 years

p. 36

Age 6-9 years

p. 37

Age 9-12 years

p. 39

Adolescence

p. 41

Summary

p. 44

Grief And Loss Across The Life Span: Ypung And Middle Adulthood

p. 45

Factors in Addition to Age and Developmental Stage that Influence Grief Reactions

p. 47

Developmental and External Factors Influencing Grief Reactions

p. 51

Young adulthood

p. 51

Middle adulthood

p. 52

Summary

p. 53

Loss And Grief Across The Life Span: Older Adults

p. 55

Loss and Grief Later in Life

p. 55

The Influence of Advanced Age and Longer Life Expectancy

p. 56

Cultural connections and the influence of technology

p. 57

Symbolic and Actual Loss for Older Adults

p. 58

Developmental and External Factors Influencing Grief Reactions

p. 59

Developmental factors

p. 59

External factors affecting older adults

p. 60

Working with Grieving Older Adults

p. 61

Strategies to help older adults

p. 62

Rewards of grief work with older adults

p. 63

Summary

p. 63

Normal And Complicated Grief Reactions

p. 64

Theories that Inform our Understanding of Grief

p. 65

Early psychodynamic theories

p. 66

Theories of contemporary grief practitioners and researchers

p. 67

Common Reactions in "Normal" Grief

p. 68

Complicated Grief

p. 69

Who is at risk for complicated grief?

p. 69

Interventions for Normal and Complicated Grief

p. 74

Why and how can a referral to a mental health professional or grief therapist help?

p. 74

Summary

p. 75

Cultural And Spiritual Influences

p. 77

The Influence of Culture and Spirituality in Coping with Loss and Grief